pitts



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

` A. V. 8v PI-TTS.

CORN SHELLER.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

A. V. & M. H. PITTS.

CORN SHELLER.

Patented Apr. 19, 1.887.

N. PETERS Fhowumogmphw. wnshingmn, D. cA

NITED STATES PATENT" OFFICE.

AURELIUS V. PITTS AND MARCELLUS H. PITTS, OF MARSEILLES, ILLINOIS,ASSIGNORS TO THE PITTS MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE. f

CORN-SHELLER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 361,644, dated April19, 1887. Application tiled October 24,1885. -'Renewed October 2, 1886.Serial No. 215,196. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may con/cern,.-

Be it known that we, AURELIUs V. Prrrs and MARenLLUs H. Prrrs, citizensof the United States of America, residing at Marseilles, in the countyof La Salle and State of,

Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inGorn-Shellers, of which the following is a specification, referencebeing had therein to the accompanying drawings.

Figure lis a side elevation of the sheller with a swingingcob-carrier atone end, a feedelevator at the opposite end, and a side elevator forelevating shelled corn, 4all mounted on trucks for transportation. Fig.2 is a longitudinal vertical sect-ion of the sheller, the cobcarrierbeing detached, and also showing a side view of the yielding breast andendless traveling bed. Fig. 3 is a plan view on the engaging-surface ofa portion of the yielding breast. Fig. 4is a side View of a sectionofthe yielding breast and a cross-section of the side bars for holdingits sections in place and of the longitudinal bars above for holding thecoil-springs between them and the sections of the breast. Fig. 5 is avertical cross-sectional view of the sheller, taken on line 2 2 of Fig.l, looking in the direction of the arrow. Fig. 6 is a plan view of aportion of the sieve for separating the shelled corn from the cobs. Fig.7 is a plan view of a section ofthe endless traveling bed. Fig. S is arear view of the lower end of the swinging cob-carrier, showing theparts for supporting it. Fig. 9 isafront view of the mechanism fordriving the endless conveyer vof the swinging cob-carrier. Fig. 10 is aside view of the lower end of the swinging cob-carrier, showing themanner of the attachment ofthe belt for driving its conveyer; and Fig.1l is a plan view ofthe upper end of the toothed endless traveling bed,showing the stationaryteeth at its sides, attached to the machine-frame,and the two spring-arms for con-- ducting the ear corn to the center ofthe traveling bed.. f y

This invention relates to certain improvements in corn-shellers, whichimprovements are fully setforth and explained in the followingspecification and claims.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the sides of the machine,inclosed within the vertical posts P, l), and P and resting on the sillsS and held together by means of proper crossbeams, and provided with apair of sills, B, se-

cured to the lower part, at' the sides of the machine, for supporting iton proper trucks and 5 5,

for supporting at the front end an endless carrier, for feeding themachine, and an endless swinging cob-carrier at the rear end, as shownin Fig. 1.

H is an endless traveling bed, located longi- 6o tudinally within themachine, between its sides A, and mounted on the sprocket-wheels W andsheaves 7L, as shown in Fig. 2, the sheavewheels h being on shaft S andthe sprocket-- wheels XV on shaft R, the latter being the 6 5drive-shaft. The endless. traveling bed H is formed, as shown in detailin Fig. 7, from a pair of sprocket chains, m m', the alternate links ofwhich are provided with inwardlyprojecting eye-lugs for the attachmentof the toothed sections H', as shown in said figure.

Each sprocket-chain in m travels on a sprocket-wheel W and on a sheaveh, such as is shown in Fig. 2.

sprocket-chains, are arranged to be contiguous to each other, so thatgrain will not fall loe` tween them in the shelling operation.

The shaft S', upon which the sheaves -h are mounted, is supported insliding boxes arfio for the purpose of giving tension to said endlesstraveling bed.

Guiding-plates G2 are arranged in the sides of the sheller in suchmanner as to project under the sprocket-chains m m of the endlesstraveling bed to properly hold that portion of 9o the traveling bed nextthe breast above to its work.

The yielding breast N, which is arranged immediately above the uppersurface of the toothed endless traveling bed, is constructed as shown inFigs. 3 and 4, and consists of a series of contiguous yielding sections,each composed of a block, n, having a metal plate, Q, fixed on itsvupper surface and a plate, N',

on its lower surface, some of which platesl N roo may be toothed orribbed and some plain. The blocks n are made shorter than said plates,

The toothed sections H of the traveling bed, when attached to said 7 5so as to leave recesses for the reception of the bars r, as shown inFig. 4, said recesses being wider than said bars, to permit verticalmovement of said sections. At each end of the said yielding sections isarranged a cross-bar, fr, connecting the said bars r, and upon which aresecured the longitudinal bars g, as shown in Fig. 2. The bars g g areeach recessed immediately over each section of the breast for thereception of coilsprings b, which are arranged in pairs between saidbars and each section of the breast, as shown in Fig. 4, so that eachsection may be yieldingly and independently held to its work. rlhe endsof the side bars, r r, terminate in eyes, and are pivotally connected toa pair of arms, T T, on each side of the machine, the upper ends `ofwhich arms incline toward each other and are slotted for the receptionof bolts, by means of which they are secured to the inner sides of themachine, as shown in Figs. 2 and 5, and are forthe purpose of permittingslight vertical movement of thefbreast and preventing its longitudinalmovement. The breast is suspended by means of the screw-threaded rods d4and y', as shown in Figs. 2 and 5.

The rods d4 pass np through perforations in plates d, secured to thecrossbars z and z of the machine. Cylindrical rubber cushions d2 aresleeved on said rods d4, and held up against said plates d by means ofnuts turned on said rods; and thumb-nuts turned on said rods and l downon said-plates securely hold said rods in proper position, and, togetherwith the nuts below said cushions, furnish means for the verticaladjustment of the breast. The rods y' pass up through boxes attached tothe side of the cross-bar z2 of the sheller, and are similarly providedwith nuts and cushions as rods d4, and are for the same purpose. Theinner sides of the sheller are provided with a series of teeth, i',arranged between the traveling bed H and the breast N, (shown in Fig.2,) for the purpose of assisting in the shelling operation at the sidesof the machine.

rlhe mechanism for feeding ear corn to the sheller is shown in Figs. land 2, andconsists in an inclined trough, M, hopper M', and shafts RTand m, upon which are secured pulleys, on which an endless carrier, d,is mounted between the sides of said trough, said feed mechanism beingattached to the machine, so as to deliver ear corn to the endlesstraveling bed, as shown by the arrows in Fig. 2. A pair of crossguideboards, I and I', located as shown in Fig. 2, serve to properly guidethe ear corn to the endless traveling bed, and a pair ofspring-arms-such as is shown at ef in Figs. 2 and ll-are secured to theinner sides of the sheller immediately over the inner end of thetraveling bed, and their inner extending ends Y converge to conduct thecorn to the center of the sheller, theinner side of one of saidspringarms being shown in Fig. 2 and the two being shown inFig. 11.

A curved shield, B', is arranged to fill the space between the sides ofthe sheller and immediately in the rear ofthe endlesstraveling bed,'asshown in Fig. 2, and is for the purpose of preventing the shelled grainfrom being scattered out of the sheller. A depending apron, A2,suspended from the lower side of said shield, assists in preventingthescattering of the grain.

.A vibrating sieveshoe, D, is suspendedby means of arms G and G3immediately under the rear end of the traveling` bed, and is providedwith a sieve, D, upon which the cobs and shelled grain fall. The sieveis made from a plate of sheet metal, having its meshes formed by cuttingportions of said plate in a circular form, and so as to leave the cutoutportions integral at one side with said plate, said out portions being`alternately bent to project up Ward and forward and downward andbackward, as shown in Figs. 2, 5, and 6.

The sieve-shoe D is caused to vibrate by means of its connection withcrank-shaft R2 through the medium of pitman D', which is pivotallyconnected to said shoe, as shown in Fig. 2. rllhe movement of said shoein its vibration is forward and upward and backward and downward.

The upward-eXtendng projections of the sieve serve to carry the cobs outof the sheller, and the downwardly-extending portions ofthe sieve serveto conduct the blast of wind from the fan up through the perforations inthe sieve while the grain is falling through them and through-the grainthereon to more thoroughly clean it of chaff. The grain drops from thesieve on an inclined floor, which conducts it to an inclined spout, G',which in turn conducts it to the elevator F, at the side of the machine.

The fan that creates the wind blast is shown at E2, and is placed onshaft R and rotates in the case K, constructed to convey the wind blastin the proper direction, as shown in Fig. 2. As the grain is elevated inthe elevator` F, it is discharged at the spout F, from whence it may beconveyed by a secondary spout in any direction.

The cob-carrierEis shown in Figs. 1, 8, and 10, and consists of aninclined trough pivotally mounted on the cross-bar t', secured to therear ends of the sills B through the medium of standard t, and isarranged to have its outer upper end turned in any direction Withincertain limits to discharge the cobs where desired, and is supported atits outer end by suitable legs, as shown in Fig. 1. Each end of the,carrier E is provided with a cross-shaft properly boxed theretoA andhaving suitable pulleys upon which an endless beltis mounted. The shaftat .the lower end of said carrier is provided with a sheave-pulley, O5,to which power is applied to drive said endless carrier through themedium of belt O', as shown in Fig. 10, from the mechanism shown moreparticularly in Fig. 9, which consists of a pair of short horizontalshafts and a short perpendicular shaft connected through the medium oftwo pairs of miterlgears, V and V, the lower IOO IIO

horizontal shaft being properly boxed to a cross-bar on the rear part ofthe sheller, 'and having a sheave'pulley, e, on its outer end, to whichpower is applied to drive it.

The short vertical shaft rests in a step-box on said cross-bar, and isproperly supported by a stationary box immediately above its lowermiter-gear. Boxed to said vertical shaft above its stationary bearing isa swinging frame, O3, which has the upper horizontal shaft boxed in itsupperpart. The outer end of said frame rests upon semicircular frame 0*,and has a hooked bolt, O2, arranged therein to clasp said frame O4 andhold said frame O3 in any position. The said upper horizontal shaft isprovided with a sheave-pulley on its outer end, as shown in Figs. l and9, to drive belt O to operate the cob-elevator. The vertical shaft towhich frame O3 is boxed stands directly over the pivotal support of thecobcarrier. As the cobcarrier is turned in any desired direction, theswinging frame O3 may be turned correspondingly, so that beit O may beproperly operated to drive the cob-carrier elevator, while the lowerhorizontal shaft remains in a stationary position. By this constructionthe cob-carrier may be turned to deliver cobs in any desired direction,and the mechanism that drives it turned in a corresponding direction tooperate it at the will of the operator.

The drive-shaft R is provided with thelarge drive-pulley Q',- aud asmaller beltpnlley, al, at one end, and a balance-wheel, V, and a pairof belt-pulleys, a and a', at its opposite end. A belt, C5, mounted onpulley al and pulley a of elevator F, serves to operate said elevator. Abelt, c', mounted on pulley a of shaft vIt and pulley a3 of shaft R3,serves to drive said shaft R3, which is cranked t0 drive the sieve-shoe.A pulley corresponding with pulley a is arranged at the side of thelatter on shaft R3, and has mounted thereon b elt C4,

' which drives pulley e to operate the cob-carrier. rlhe belt C, mountedon pulley a and pulley of shaft R2, serves to operate the feedelevator;and a belt, C2, mounted on pulley a5 ofshaft S, which supports the frontend of the endless traveling bed, and a pulley, af, on shaft R of thefan serve to operate said fau by means of the motion given pulley a5through the medium of traveling bed H from the driveshaft R.

The belt O', which transmits power from pulley O to pulley O5 to operatethe endless conveyer of the cob-carrier, is shown as passing over a pairof idler-pulleys, O, which are attached to one side of the cob-carriertrough for the purpose of holding said belt away from the sheller, sothat it will not engage and be dislocated by projecting parts when thecobcarrier is being swung from side to side. The cobcarrier may,however, have a sheave-pul ley secured on its upper cross-shaft and thebelt O' may be arranged thereon, if desired, running straight lout frompulley O, which would operate the endless conveyer of the cobcarrier inlike manner, as shown.

To operate the machine, the endless feed-elevator M delivers the earcorn to the upper end of the toothed endless bed H, by means of which itis carried between it and the yielding breast above, which-is set alittle farther distant from the endless bed at its upper front end thanat its lower end, so'as to make room for large quantities of car cor'nto enter be'- tween them, the ears being larger with the corn on thanthe cobs are with the corn off.

It is intended that the corn will be shelled by rolling the ears betweensaid parts, which reduces friction toD its lowest limit in cornshelling.Should an ear chance to enter the machine endwise, the plain sections ofthe yielding breast permit it to be turned so as to roll, as stated, thesections thereof having but a single rib to assist it to turn. When solarge a quantity of corn has entered the machine as to elevate thesections of the breast beyond the limit of the recesses in the ends ofsaid sections, then the rubber cushions d y2 operate to make the breaststill more yielding, to prevent injury to the parts. When it is desiredto operate the sheller by means of a tu mbling-rod, a coupling-link forthat purpose may be attached to the outer end of shaft R.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is as follows, to wit:

l. ln the sheller shown and described, the yielding breast N,consistingofthe several independently-yielding sections,arranged and s upported asset forth, and having some of said sections provided with teeth or ribson their engaging-surfaces and some left plain on theirengaging-surfaces,for the purpose specified.

2. In the corn-sheller shown and described, the yielding breast N,having the side bars, o 1', longitudinal bars g,and coil-springs b,incombination with the armsTT, having their lower endspivoted,respectively,to the outer ends of the said side bars and theirlupper ends slotted and inclined toward each other and secured to theinner walls of the sheller-f rame, bolts passing through said slots, thescrew-threaded rods d* and y',h'aving the rubber cushions d2 and y?, andnuts at each end thereof for vertical adjustment of said cushions andbreast, and the endless traveling bed H, substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

3. In the corn-sheller shown and described, the yielding breast N,havingthe sidebars, rr, longitudinal bars'g, and coil-springs b, in co1nbination with the arms T T,having theirlower endspivoted,respectively,to the outer ends of the said side bars and havingtheir upper ends slotted and inclined toward each other andsse- IOO IIO

cured to the inner sides of the sheller-fra1ne,

and bolts passing through said slots, substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

4. In the sheller shown and described, and in combination with thetoothed endless traveling bed H and yielding breast N, the sideconverging arms,e, for guiding the ear corn to the central part of saidtraveling bed, the cross guide-boards I and I', for properly guiding earcorn to said traveling bed, and a suitable feeding mechanism fordelivering ear corn to the machine, as and for the-purpose set forth.

5. In the corn-Sheller shown and described, and in combination with thetraveling bed H and yielding breast N, the teeth i, arranged along theinner sides of the sheller ou a line between said endless traveling bedand yielding breast, as and for the purpose set forth.

6. In the corn-Sheller shown and described, and in combination with theendless traveling bed H, the yielding sectional breast N, having aportion of its sections toothed or ribbed and a portion of its sectionswithout teeth or ribs,

AURELIUS V. PITTS. MARCELLUS H. IPITTS.

Vitnesses:

Trios. H. HU'roHINs, WVM. J. HUToHINs.

